Chief Ferraris, DA Beglau co-write Opinion on Opioids Tue, 03/06/2018
Opioids, including prescription painkillers, have become real weapons of mass destruction. Without immediate and bold action, Oregon will soon experience greater devastation to life and family.
The facts are astonishing. More than 64,000 people died from drug overdoses in the United States in 2016. That is 175 people dead per day, most under the fatal grip of opioids. Oxycodone, fentanyl, and heroin were the primary culprits. Drug overdoses now exceed traffic fatalities in this nation, and these powerfully addictive drugs have turned a blind eye to age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status.
We are in the midst of a pandemic, and Oregon is not immune. Oregon experienced the deaths of 334 people from drugs in 2016. We have the second highest rate of prescription-drug abuse in the nation. As this toxic wave surges west over the Mississippi river, we must prepare ourselves for the challenge.
Oregon is no stranger to the proliferation of drugs, yet opioids may be the greatest threat ever. Methamphetamine continues its carnage against Oregonians, leading the way in fatal overdoses.
All of us recall the devastating impact of the meth epidemic destroying families, overwhelming foster care and social services, and leaving thousands of lives with permanent physical and cognitive scars. Opioids now seize the day.
We must take immediate action to stop these senseless deaths. First, we must choke out the supply. Big pharmaceutical companies have created a profit-driven model that fuels the prescription of opioid painkillers by medical providers.
One West Virginian community of 3,200 people was supplied nearly 21 million pain pills over a 10 year period. Addiction and death reign in the Appalachians. These corporate individuals are educated drug dealers in neck ties. There must be accountability for corporations who skillfully and insidiously market these toxins to Americans.
Second, we must curtail the prescribing of opioids by medical providers. All medical providers must be required to register and use prescription-drug monitoring programs.
Third, we must eviscerate the importation of fentanyl from across the globe. Fentanyl has created devastating public-health and safety concerns. The fatal overdose rate for fentanyl is exponentially high, and our law enforcement professionals are placed at grave risk when encountering these drugs in the field. Whether on its own, mixed with heroin, or sold in pill form as illicit oxycodone, fentanyl is deadly.
Fourth, we must continue to disrupt and dismantle drug cartels. They are saturating America with high-grade heroin, which is far more addictive and potent than in years past. These organized criminals are not just promoting heroin and fentanyl, they market any drug that delivers profit, including meth, cocaine, marijuana and counterfeit prescription pills. Addiction does not discriminate. We must cripple these criminal enterprises with significant criminal sanctions and seize their assets.
Finally, effective treatment is essential to protect our communities and restore lives.
Oregon, we have reason to fear opioids. A significant number of us will have a family member die from an opioid overdose in the next few years. Many Oregonians have already experienced this unspeakable truth. Our culture of how the medical community views pain management and treats pain must end.
We must fight back.
Jim Ferraris is the Woodburn chief of police and can be reached at //jim.ferraris@ci.woodburn.or.us/">jim.ferraris@ci.woodburn.or.us. Walt Beglau is the Marion County District Attorney and can be reached at //wbeglau@co.marion.or.us/">wbeglau@co.marion.or.us.
